Common Council approves full lead hazard review for city-owned properties

The Common Council today approved a resolution requiring the Department of City Development to prepare a comprehensive plan to review all lead health hazards in occupied city-owned properties.

The legislation (File #180119), created by primary sponsors Alderman José G. Pérez and Alderman Russell W. Stamper, II, directs the Department of City Development to create the plan within 30 days. The plan must include a review of all potential lead hazards, including water pipes, paint, and soil, in occupied city-owned buildings.

“Lead exposure is a serious issue plaguing our city and putting children at risk,” said Alderman Pérez. “Developing a plan to review every city-owned property, specifically homes with young children, can guide us to the best form of action to eliminate this health hazard.”

“With this comprehensive plan in place, we can now take action steps to provide safer homes for our city’s residents,” Alderman Stamper said. “The quick turn-around with this plan will help us to address the real issue, removing lead from occupied city-owned homes.”

The measure aims to reduce health risks, including attention disorders and slow development, within homes that are often lived in by pregnant women and young children, who are most vulnerable to risks of lead poisoning.

One thought on “Common Council approves full lead hazard review for city-owned properties”

Since the vast majority of children’s exposure to lead is paint related, and since most of these exposures are in rental properties that have been deteriorating for years, the idea of concentrating on City-owned housing (mostly built after the years of lead paint) will be fairly meaningless. Do not let the property owners of low-income rental housing get off this hook, and increase spending on inspections and follow through.

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